


Trouble Never Ends

by Lysa_Lavellan (totalnovaktrash)



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Gen, Major Original Character(s), Minor Iron Bull/Dorian Pavus, Minor Lavellan/Solas, More characters to be added, Original Character(s), Post-Dragon Age: Inquisition
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-31
Updated: 2016-06-04
Packaged: 2018-07-11 10:56:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7046494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/totalnovaktrash/pseuds/Lysa_Lavellan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"As leader of the Inquisition, let me formally welcome you to Skyhold."<br/>-Inquisitor Varenan Lavellan, Herald of Andraste</p><p>A year after the final battle with Corypheus, all was calm at Skyhold. But danger lurks in the shadows. With the advisors and some of the inner circle gone, Inquisitor Lavellan and her allies need to figure out the truth behind the mysterious mage attacking the Inquisition and put an end to the threat.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is based off of a Dragon Age roleplay I was in on the app Virtual Space Amino. So shout out to the users PandorasHero, Lazarus, K4HN-M4N, Tiffany, and Circe. If you guys are reading this, thanks! This story's for you!

It had been just over a year since the defeat of Corypheus. Things had been calm since and the Inquisition had calmed. Leliana had become Devine and left Skyhold for Val Royeaux. Josephine had gone to Denerim to act as ambassador and help King Alistair. Cullen had gone to visit his family in Honnleath. Cassandra was out recruiting for the New Seekers. Varric was in Kirkwall with his friend Merrill. Vivienne had returned to Val Royeaux for business she refused to share. Iron Bull and his chargers had left for a job. Blackwall had gone out on Warden business. Sera and Cole were Mythal knows where. And Solas… well, Solas was still missing. Only Dorian had remained in Skyhold for no other reason than he had nothing else to do.

I thought we were safe. How wrong I was.

* * *

Varenan walked out of Skyhold’s main building and into the light of the courtyard. She looked around at the people scattered across the grounds and smiled. After a moment, she spotted a Qunari walk through the gates, followed by a group. She went to greet them. “Hello, I am Inquisitor Lavellan.”

“The Inquisitor,” the Qunari repeated. “Well I’ve— ah, _we’ve_ heard a lot about you. We were hoping that you had a position that needs to be filled. We just came from a job in Tevinter. Blood mage Venatori trying to summon Corypheus’ fear demon buddy. You’re welcome, by the way.” He smirked.

Varenan briefly wondered why they hadn’t gotten word of Venatori activity. “That you for covering where we couldn’t be.” She noticed Dorian approach. “Ah, Dorian!” she waved him over.

At that moment, someone dropped from above, landing next to her. The Qunari’s group all looked surprised, but Varenan was used to the strange places that Alex appeared from in the months the eastern warrior had been at Skyhold.

Dorian arrived. “Hello, Varenan. Who is this?” he asked, looking at the Qunari. “I am Dorian, last light of kindness in Tevinter. And the best looking,” he added with a smug smile.

“Dorian, this is…” Varenan paused. “I apologize, Josephine always says I’m bad with relations. What was your name?”

“He is Arvaarad of the Venatori mercenaries,” Alex answered stiffly. “In the east he is known as Arvaarad the ruthless or Arvaarad the bloodstained.” He walked away from the group towards the stables.

“A pleasure,” Dorian said. He turned to Varenan. “May I ask something?”

Varenan laughed. “As if I can stop you.”

“Could you ask Varric to improve on his books? I would say the romance is fairly lacking.”

“Have you read Swords and Shields? It’s nothing but romance.”

Dorian looked up at the main tower. “There’s too much drama and not enough me.”

Varenan laughed again and turned to Arvaarad. “Sorry about him. He’s a bit self centered.”

Alex returned with his horse and a wagon. “I’m going to pick up some supplies.” When the Inquisitor nodded, he headed out of Skyhold muttering something about ‘damn mercs’.

Varenan waved a passing servant elf over. “Can you please show Arvaarad and his company around, Neri?” she requested, knowing the girl’s name. Neri nodded and, as the new mercenary group headed off, Varenan started back towards the rotunda. She was stopped by a commotion. She turned around to see Alex being thrown back through the gates. She ran over to him. “Are you okay?” she asked.

Alex struggled to his feet, clutching his ribs. “Golem,” he grunted.

The Inquisitor ran to the gates to see a stone golem preparing to attack. “Elgar’nan!” she gasped. “Arvaarad, let’s see what your group is made of!” she shouted.

“What’s going on?” Dorian asked, appearing at her side.

Varenan drew her daggers and sprinted towards the attack. “Golem at the gates!” she yelled over her shoulder.

The mage followed, staff in hand. “Don’t let it in!”

“Thanks for the tip!” she growled, running into the fray with him and Alex running next to her.

“Welcome, I have plenty more… like don’t get hit!” Dorian began firing at the golem.

“Move!” Arvaarad shouted, charging passed them at full speed. Alex followed faster, but the golem grabbed him by the shoulder and tossed him against the gates. It proceeded to attack the mercenary group.

Varenan took the opportunity to dig Silencer between the rocks of the creature. The golem roared and tried to kick at the elf. Alex made it to his feet. “Inquisitor! A mage in the trees!” He coughed, more blood dripping from his helmet. “Controlling the golem!”

Dorian heard. “You take him, I’ve got the golem!” He continued to attack the stone being. Arvaarad slid on his knees between the beast’s legs, cracking it’s left one. One of the arches in the mercenary group started firing at the crack in the creature’s leg.

Varenan’s eyes scanned the tree line, looking for the intruding mage. When she caught a glimpse of the culprit, she took a knife from her belt and threw it. The mage just managed to dodge the projectile and started running away.

Dorian cursed and tried to fire a small lice shot at the mage as they ran. The golem had dropped to one knee and tried to swipe at the mercenary group, specifically it’s leader. “Arvaarad! Finishing blow!” Varenan shouted.

Arvaarad threw a grappling chain around the crack that had been made larger from the arrows. With all his might, he pulled the chain and split the leg in two. He mounted the golem’s back and plunged his sword into the back of its stone neck, prying off its head.

Varenan took a deep breath. “Everyone okay?” She called out. “Someone get a medic for Alex!”

Arvaarad nodded. “Evie!” he called.

A female elf ran up to him. “Sir!”

“Go take care of him,” he said, referring to Alex. As she scampered off, he turned to the Inquisitor. “She was a five year combat medic in the Free Marches. He’ll be fine.”

Dorian ran up. “What just happened?”

“Someone attacked Skyhold, Dorian,” Varenan said grimly. She frowned. “With a single golem.”

“And while the inner circle is away.” He tsked. “They planned, whoever they are, and had intel.”

“Fenedhis,” she swore. “We’ve got a mole.”


	2. Chapter 2

_Dorian ran up. “What just happened?”_

_“Someone attacked Skyhold, Dorian,” Varenan said grimly. She frowned. “With a single golem.”_

_“And while the inner circle is away.” He tsked. “They planned, whoever they are, and had intel.”_

_“Fenedhis,” she swore. “We’ve got a mole.”_

 

“Moles?” Arvaarad said. “Bad for business is an understatement.”

Varenan looked the Qunari up and down and shrugged. “With the Chargers away, a talented mercenary company may be just what we need.”

The Qunari looked at the Inquisitor and smirked. “I take it that means we’re in?”

“You’re in. “Meet me in the War Room as soon as possible. You too, Dorian.” Varenan turned on her heel and headed swiftly towards the tower. She passed Alex on her way. “War Room, Beastram.”

Alex made to follow her, despite his injuries, but the medic swiftly knocked him out. He stumbled and slumped into her arms. “He’ll be there in about fifteen minutes,” the medic told Varenan.

Dorian was waiting outside the doors when Varenan stalked down the hall to the war room. “This is not good, Dorian,” she said.

“I agree. I’m all out of books and moustache gel,” he responded, grinning. “It’s awfully expensive.”

She rolled her eyes. “Of course it is. Mythal forbid you run out of moustache gel.”

Arvaarad walked up to the pair in the hall. “I hope you’re not talking about me.” He laughed a little.

“No, not entirely. So how much on Alex sprinting in here without listening?” He asked, smiling and watching the hallway. “Without a shirt…”

“Oh, he’ll be here in less than five minutes,” Varenan guessed. “Two silvers says he’ll have half his armor on.”

“I say no armor, just clothes. Hopefully not even that.”

The Inquisitor considered, pushing the thought of the warrior shirtless out of her mind. “You’re on.”

Arvaarad stood there and smirked. “Don’t count me in. I don’t know the guy well enough to bet on him.”

“Just wait, Arvaarad,” Varenan said with a smile, “you’ll be placing bets on the reality of Varric’s Wicked Grace tales with the rest of us in no time.”

Just then, Alex approached, sword at his side and leather pauldrons on. “What have I missed?”

Dorian sighed. “Shit, could you take those pauldrons off and com in please?” He avoided Varenan’s smug gaze. She smirked and pushed open the doors to the War Room.

“For the last time, Dorian, I am not stripping for you,” Alex sighed.

Varenan forcefully pushed away the mental image again and grinned as Dorian handed her coin. “Why ever not? You are a resilient one, but no one can resist me forever. Not even someone made of iron.” He winked.

“How did my medic treat you?” Arvaarad asked Alex.

“I was unconscious the entire time, but I assume well since I haven’t coughed any blood yet. And, Dorian, one made of iron may not be able to resist, but one holding the steel blade may just manage.” He grinned, holding the hilt of his sword.

“Pay him no attention, Alex. He’s just missing his boyfriend,” Varenan dismissed. “Now, to business.”

“Dorian stood next to the war table where Cullen normally stood. “Cullen two point oh is now ready for action.” He laughed.

Varenan rolled her eyes again at her friend. “So we know we have a mole in the Inquisition. Someone knew that the majority of my inner circle and my advisors would be away.”

“The most likely to be the betrayers are the apostates that arrived recently,” Alex said.

“To narrow it down, it must’ve been about a week before everyone left. Sera would’ve found them otherwise,” added Dorian

“Could it have been a long time supporter of the Inquisition, though?” Arvaarad suggested.

Varenan shook her head. “If they were here before, Leliana would have noticed something was off. Now that I think about it, it could be one of the new scouts. We’ve yet to get a new Spymaster since she became Devine.” She sighed. “So many options, not enough facts.”

“Now what about that mage?” Dorian wondered. “They must have been powerful to control a golem that strong.”

“It wasn’t necessarily stronger than the average golem,” Arvaarad argued. “Just more erratic. Like it was a wild animal.”

“Inquisitor, he had a strange staff with him. It had an owl skull on top,” Alex remembered.

Varenan frowned. “Who had a staff with a skull on it?” she wondered. “Well, aside from that Tempest staff we found, but that was a human skull.”

Arvaarad looked at her. “That’s a story that sounds worth hearing. But an owl skull? I’ll send out a messages to a few of my contacts and see if they know anything.”

“I’ll go and see if the scouts have seen anything unusual.” Alex headed towards the door, clutching his side.

Dorian turned to Varenan. “Just you and me, huh Inquisitor? Fancy hunting that mole?”

“Try spreading false information,” she suggested. “I’ll do my vest to contact Leliana and Cullen.”

“What if we tell separate groups different things so we know which area the mole is in?”

Varenan grinned. “Sometimes I underestimate your brilliance, Dorian Pavus.”

He shrugged. “I’m under estimated frequently. People can’t believe I’m beautiful and smart.”

She laughed. “I’m glad you decided to stick around. I better get to writing those letters. Work your espionage magic, pretty boy.”

Varenan headed off to her study. She sat at her desk and wrote letters to both the former Spymaster and the Commander. Once they were finished, she sent them out with ravens. Watching the birds fly away, she sat back down and wrote another letter, one to Solas, and tucked it away in her desk drawer. “Mahn ane, vhenan?” she sighed. “I need a drink,” she decided, and headed to the Herald’s Rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Elvish (rough translation):  
> Mahn ane, vhenan? = Where are you, love?
> 
> So the RP this is based off is still a work in progress. Meaning as soon as I cat up to where we are, I can take it anywhere I want. Any suggestions? I'd love to hear them!


End file.
